National Wages Council calls for another round of wage hikes for the low-income

For the second year in a row, the National Wages Council (NWC) has recommended that firms give a minimum raise to employees who earn less than $1,000 a month. It called on such workers to have their monthly salary increased by at least $60. Last year, the recommended increase was $50. While eight in 10 companies in the unionised sector accepted the recommendations and boosted the pay of their low-wage workers by at least $50 last year, but only three in 10 non-unionised companies followed suit. Employer group Singapore National Federation of Employers say that the progress was a "good start", but the National Trades Union Congress said that it was "very concerned" with the slow pace. Besides boosting low-wage workers' pay, the council recommended that companies that outsource their work should also consider wage hikes for outsourced workers by reviewing and adjusting the c...